Senior Paralegal Specialist

About the Role

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (the “Port Authority”) Law Department seeks an experienced Senior Paralegal Specialist to join its Manhattan-based 100-person team.  The successful applicant provides support to litigation attorneys who are responsible for handling cases in both New York and New Jersey courts.  

Responsibilities

• Subpoena Response - Responding to subpoenas served on the agency including:
  • Ensuring they were properly served and “so ordered” and rejecting the subpoena if it was not;
  • Reviewing the subpoena and opening a matter in Law Manager;
  • Contacting the appropriate department to request the subpoenaed records following up as necessary to ensure you have the records and the business records certification which must be served with the response; 
  • Interfacing with the prosecutor’s office if the subpoena was issued in a criminal case; 
  • Reviewing the records before serving them to ensure they are responsive and sensitive information is redacted; 
  • Preparing the cover letter with the response making sure it is served in compliance with the applicable statute.
    
    
• Processing wage executions, liens, employment/medical/EZ Pass record requests by confirming there is a proper authorization or power of attorney and rejecting the request if there is not; forwarding the request to the proper department for a response.
  
  
• New Matter Intake - Intake of new matters including:
  • Reviewing the complaint and obtaining the name of the assigned attorney;
  • Contacting plaintiff’s counsel to obtain a stipulation of time to respond to the complaint;
  • Preparing stipulations for extension of time to respond to the complaint and obtaining executed copy from plaintiff’s counsel; 
  • Determining whether a matter should be tendered to a third party and, if so, preparing the tender letter;
  • Preparing opening memos and notice of appearances for federal actions reviewing the same with the assigned attorney prior to filing; 
  • Determining if employees have been sued and preparing requests for defense and indemnification and following up with employee to ensure the process is completed
  • Advising department of lawsuit and need to investigate employee’s actions, following up to ensure investigation complete
  • Following up with attorney to ensure complaint is timely responded to.
    
    
• Assist attorneys when necessary with motions by proofreading motion papers, checking citations and exhibits; and electronically filing motions if necessary.
  
  
• Assist attorneys with E-Discovery by creating search terms, reviewing document productions, applying appropriate markings to the document production, and creating privilege logs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; a paralegal certification from an ABA approved program; or, in the alternative, at least five years’ experience.

Applicants must meet all performance and attendance standards and have completed all probationary periods. (Internal requirement only)

Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in performing trial prep work. 
• Thorough knowledge of legal documents and their function.
• Demonstrated ability to complete assignments with minimal supervision, handling

conflicting priorities, and work under pressure while meeting tight deadlines.

• Strong interpersonal and oral communication skills.
• Knowledge of case/matter management system (Law Manager), document management system, PC applications (Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Acrobat, and Lexis-Nexis/Westlaw.

• Creative problem-solver with a dedicated commitment to finding pragmatic solutions to business issues with the utmost integrity.
• Ability to work collectively and ethically, in a matrixed organization, considering multiple stakeholder viewpoints and various client interests.
• Ability to engage colleagues and business teams in a collegial and business-friendly manner.
• Ability to comply with protocols, policies, directives, and deadlines.

Selection Process

The application process varies by position, but typically includes an initial phone interview for qualified candidates, followed by a more in-depth interview(s) and/or assessment(s). Selected candidates who are made a conditional job offer will be asked to undergo a background check.

Compensation & Benefits

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey offers a competitive benefits package, hybrid work options for many positions, and a professional environment that supports development and recognizes achievement.